Chrysanthemum plant named Early Vero

ABSTRACT

A Chrysanthemum plant named Early Vero particularly characterized by its flat capitulum form; daisy capitulum type; white ray floret color; diameter across face of capitulum of up to 8 cm at maturity; flowering response of 8 to 81/2 weeks under natural season flowering; medium plant height when grown as a single stem, and 15 to 20 cm peduncles on open, terminal sprays. Early Vero differs from the parent cultivar Vero by its substantially earlier flowering response and somewhat shorter plant height.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum, botanically known as Dendranthema grandiflora, andreferred to by the cultivar name Early Vero.

The new cultivar is a sport or mutation of the cultivar Vero, disclosedin U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,399. The new cultivar was discovered by theinventor on May 7, 1989, as a single plant growing among plants of theparent cultivar Vero in production beds of Burdette Coward & Co. Inc.,Punta Gorda, Florida. The new cultivar was detected due to itssubstantially earlier flowering response.

At the time of discovery, the new sport was essentially in full bloomwhile the flowers of Vero were still in, and in fact never finishedbeyond, the bud stage. This was the first attempt to flower Vero at thattime of the year where daylength is longer and temperatures are higher.It was later discovered that in early to mid-November, another marginalperiod due to varying daylength and temperature, Early Vero uniformlyflowers whereas Vero tends to delay until daylight decreases to acertain point. Generally, Vero will not flower before November 15 whengrown in Punta Gorda, Fla. under conditions noted below. Under the samegrowing conditions, Early Vero flowers as early as November 2-3 based onnatural growing conditions with no photoperiodic control. Thus, in earlyto mid-November, Early Vero provides an excellent cultivar to supply thenormal market for Vero. This is a very important commercial advantage.It was verified later that Early Vero blooms earlier than Vero by up toone week, depending on time of year and growing conditions.

In view of the potential importance of the earlier floweringcharacteristic, the sport was removed from the production beds andsubsequently asexually propagated Jul. 11, 1989. Such propagationclearly established that the unique combination of characteristics asherein disclosed for Early Vero, including earlier flowering, are firmlyfixed and are retained through successive generations of asexualreproduction. The complete stability of Early Vero has manifested itselfin further generations of propagation up to the present time.

The primary difference between Early Vero and Vero is in the floweringresponse period. The only other differences noted to date are that EarlyVero tends to be slightly shorter in overall height than Vero, and theflowering period of Early Vero extends from early to at least mid-May,and flowering also occurs in early November, as above described. Theshorter plant height of Early Vero is probably due to the fact that itbuds faster and has several days less to grow. The difference in heightis usually not more than approximately 3". Besides flowering responseand the extended flowering periods of Early Vero, the characteristics ofEarly Vero and Vero appear to be identical. This is of particularsignificance since Vero is now recognized as perhaps the mostoutstanding white daisy cut spray mum on the market today.

It should be noted that the earlier flowering response of Early Vero hasalways expressed itself, but varies depending on the time of the year.For example, based on natural growing conditions in Punta Gorda, Fla.during late November, plants of Early Vero bloom approximately 6-7 daysbefore plants of Vero. As the season progresses and the day lengthdecreases in December and January, the difference in response periodsbetween the respective cultivars tends to decrease. In those monthsEarly Vero blooms approximately 3-4 days ahead of Vero. As the daysagain become longer moving toward spring, the relative difference inflowering response time again increases. From mid-April to early May,under natural flowering at production facilities in Punta Gorda, EarlyVero again blooms approximately 6-7 days ahead of Vero. An importantdistinction is that by mid-May, Vero, which is more sensitive to daylength, slows down and actually stops flowering while Early Verocontinues to bloom. The term "sensitive" is used to signify reaction ofthe plant to longer days in natural growing conditions. The earlierflowering response of Early Vero is of substantial economic advantage togrowers. To those growers who are trying to maximize the natural seasonof Chrysanthemum production, it offers the option to extend the seasonboth at the start and finish (early November and to and past mid-May).Thus, growers in Florida have the opportunity to reliably harvest EarlyVero for Mother's Day and Thanksgiving. Vero will not flower dependablyduring those times, bearing in mind that shipments of cut flowersnormally begin 10-14 days before each holiday.

For greenhouse growers the earlier flowering of Early Vero allowsgrowers to recrop faster and accordingly make more efficient use of theareas devoted to pompon Chrysanthemum crops.

Early Vero has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations inenvironment such as temperature, light intensity and daylength, withouthowever, any variation in genotype. For example, trials to date have notincluded flowering of Early Vero beyond mid-May since it is normal tomaximize production for the Mother's Day holiday, and the quality offlowers significantly deteriorates at that time due to daylength andpossibly temperature. It has been determined that Early Vero will floweruniformly in Florida until at least mid-May, and it may very well flowerwell beyond that day under natural light conditions.

The following observations, measurements and comparisons describe plantsof Early Vero grown in Punta Gorda, Fla. under natural season conditionswhich approximate those generally used in commercial practice. Naturalseason in Punta Gorda is between approximately November 1 through atleast mid-May, and black cloth covering is not used. The plants aregrown under saran cloth with 30% shade and no heat. During periods ofdecreased light in winter, lights are used to produce long days prior tothe start of short days.

Tests have not been conducted on Early Vero under strict photoperiodiccontrol regimens consisting of precise black cloth application. However,under short daylength natural growing conditions in mid-winter in PuntaGorda, it is expected that the difference between Vero and Early Vero inflowering response periods under a primarily photoperiodic regimen willbe between 4-7 days.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of Early Vero, which, in combination,distinguish this Chrysanthemum as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Flat capitulum form.

2. Daisy capitulum type.

3. White ray floret color.

4. Diameter across face of capitulum up to 8 cm at maturity.

5. The natural season flowering response ranges from 8-9 weeks,depending on the time of the year. For example, as above noted, shortday treatment beginning September 1 will produce flowering November 2-3.In mid-winter, the flowering response is a uniform 8 weeks.

6. Peduncle length ranges from 15 to 20 cm on open terminal sprays.

7. Medium plant height, requiring two long day weeks prior to short daysto attain a flowered plant height of 100 to 110 cm for year-roundflowerings. Early Vero is approximately 2-3 inches shorter than Verowhen grown in Punta Gorda, Florida.

8. Its ability to uniformly flower in early to at least mid-May, and inearly to mid-November.

The accompanying black and white photographic drawing shows the earlierflowering response of Early Vero when compared to Vero. The bunch offlowering stems appearing on the left comprise Early Vero essentially infull bloom, with the bunch on the right comprising stems of Vero in thebud stage. The plants from which the stems were cut were stuck September25, planted in the field October 9, pinched October 24, subjected toshort day treatment beginning November 25, and harvested January 21.

Of the commercial cultivars shown to the inventor, the most similar incomparison to Early Vero is Vero. As above noted, Early Vero isidentical to Vero except for its earlier flowering, somewhat shorterheight, and the ability to bloom during the longer daylength periods ofMay and November.

Early Vero can also be compared to the well known commercial white daisyWhite Marble. The response of White Marble is generally the same asVero, although White Marble will bloom, although non-uniformly, untilmid-May and a few days earlier in November. Early Vero extends thisdaylength period of flowering, as noted. In early May flowerings, WhiteMarble tends to exhibit foliage deterioration, increased bracting in thedisc, and downward reflexing of the petals. In addition, Early Vero,similar to Vero, is distinguished from White Marble by its more purewhite flower color, superior foliage, and somewhat smaller flowerdiameter.

In the following description color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart. The pure white ray floret color ofEarly Vero is not exactly represented in The Royal Horticultural SocietyColour Chart.

Classification:

Botanical.--Dendranthema grandiflora cv Early Vero.

Commercial.--Daisy cut spray mum.

INFLORESCENCE

A. Capitulum:

Form.--Flat.

Type.--Daisy.

Diameter across face.--Up to 8 cm at maturity.

B. Corolla of ray florets:

Color (general tonality from a distance of three meters).--White.

Color (upper surface).--White.

Color (under surface).--White.

Shape.--Flat, oblong.

C. Corolla of disc florets:

Color (mature).--14A to 14B.

Color (immature).--145A.

D. Reproductive organs.

Androecium.--Present on disc florets only; scant pollen.

Gynoecium.--Present on both ray and disc florets.

PLANT

A. General appearance:

Height.--Medium; 100 to 110 cm as a flowering plant from a rootedcutting.

B. Foliage:

Color (upper surface).--147A.

Color (under surface).--147B.

Shape.--Lobed, slightly serrated.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named Early Vero, asdescribed and illustrated.